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Here’s what rush hour in Evergreen, CO can look like. As is fitting, this prolific elk herd is making its way over the road towards Elk Meadow Open Space. Elk Meadow is one of several terrific open space trail systems that can be found in Evergreen, CO. Additionally, Evergreen is the town in which the mountain search and rescue team, for which Todd and I both volunteer, is located. As a result, we spend a great deal of time in this little mountain town. You’re not far from Denver but you feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the city. (The one photo I couldn’t resist because a baby in the herd stopped in the middle of traffic to nurse.)

Rush hour

Heading into Elk Meadow

Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do!

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In thinking about the Favorite Place challenge, I thought immediately about this humble little place in the Rockies. The roots that bind me to this little old miner’s cabin near Boulder, CO run very deep. My father’s family has been in the Boulder area since the 1890’s. My dad was born in Boulder, in 1933, when the hospital building was just a house. My grandparents bought this tiny cabin somewhere in the 1950’s. It’s only about 1200 square feet but it has so much character and historical charm. It’s made out of the original log and chinking dating back to the 1920’s. The cabin does have electricity, rigged by my grandfather, but is not winterized. When we were little kids we still had to use the outhouse. I remember having to run in the pitch black of night outside to use the outhouse. To a small kid, the blackness of the night made the distance to the loo feel like it was a mile from the cabin. In reality it’s about 20 yards. The porch screen door has that familiar slam I’ve heard for the forty plus years I’ve been going to this wonderful place.

Growing up, we visited our grandparents at the cabin frequently. The back bedroom was the kids room and the beds in there were jammed together so it was like one big mattress. With the cool mountain nights, we had lots of blankets piled all around us making it so cozy, it felt like camp. The primary feature of the cabin is a giant river rock hearth which roars with a huge fire and heats the place so warmly. When we were little we used to play pick-up-sticks in front of the fireplace and roast marshmallows. We still have those same pick-up-sticks and still play in front of the fire.

Our porcini crop

Columbine – the CO state flower

Historic old buildings in town

Daisy surveying her happy place

Another old cabin in town

I learned to tie my shoes here on a water tank which. As kids we would go to the creek and bring back big buckets of water from which my grandmother would then boil the water on the stove. This was very often our drinking water. My father’s relatives, would come up and we would all go on long hikes into the Indian Peaks Wilderness where we would fish and mushroom hunt. Pam, Todd, my nephew, and I all spent a recent Halloween up there in the pitch black night watching scary movies. My favorite memory, however, is when my best buddy in life, Todd, and I got married there. Sixty-ish of our best friends joined us under the pine trees for a very simple ceremony. It was the perfect spot!

The flyspeck of a village where my family cabin is, is part true ghost town, part eclectic community. There is only one stop sign in the town and 2 dirt roads. The mushroom hunting is pretty great, last summer we saw a moose every weekend we were there, and the darkness of the night and stars on display is mind-boggling.

This is the place that makes me the happiest. There isn’t any internet or TV in the cabin, only a DVD player. I love waking with the sun, going to bed when it’s dark, watching the hummingbirds at the feeder, going for hikes, hearing the roar of the creek, having the neighbor dog, Saber, come over to great us when we roll up to the property, coffee on the big back deck, and just being in the moment with nature all around. No matter where my Life Bus rolls, this is where I always want to come back to.

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Somehow we were bored yesterday morning and couldn’t think of anything fun to do. So, I suggested a field trip to the Garden of the Gods, about 55 miles (ish) South of Denver in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It’s one of my favorite places to bring visitors, especially if they have kids. The red rock formations are beautiful and the kiddos can run around and climb on some of them. The mixture of the red rocks and snowy Pikes Peak is pretty spectacular. You can also bring pups on leashes too, which is always important for our household!

There are dinosaur fossils, all sorts of hiking trails to explore, and you can rent electric bikes or Segways if that is what you are in to. I am not sure if a Segway is such a great idea unless you are a pro at them. We were leaving the park and noticed a woman (in a mink coat of all things) in a ditch on the side of the road. I am not a proponent of fur coats, but I hated to see her flat on her back holding her head in agony. I can only assume she got spooked by a car and lost control.

If you are a road cyclist you can ride through the park in designated bike lanes – only recommendation there is do it in the morning when there are fewer people out and about. If you are a runner, there are some great fun runs in the summer – a 10k and a 10 miler. This park has a tendency to get really HOT in the summer, so if you happen to be in the area during that time, bring some extra water and a snack. I say snacks, because you can lose track of time and end up further away from your car than intended!

Explore Colorado Springs’ paradise in one magical stop. Garden of the Gods Park is a registered National Natural Landmark. Imagine dramatic views, 300′ towering sandstone rock formations against a backdrop of snow-capped Pikes Peak and brilliant blue skies. This world-class Visitor & Nature Center and museum is the most visited attraction in the region with all new interactive exhibits. Learn how the amazing red rocks got there with the NEW Geo-Trekker theater experience, shown every 20 minutes. Delight in one of Colorado’s most photographed views while eating in our glass-enclosed café or from our terrace overlooking Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods.

After dinking around the park we landed at the Broadmoor Hotel for a glass of vino. It turned out to be a wonderful day!!

Enjoy the Pics – click on an image for a larger view! See if you can find the climber!

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So I signed up for a trail run in Salida, Colorado – a half marathon to be exact. Fellow Life Busser, Lynda, ran the marathon (she is an ANIMAL). She is training for a 100 miler this summer so this was a training run for her. I know, I cannot relate either – hope she posts about it this summer!

I thought it was a good idea at the time the fee was paid in early December…and really, it ended up being a great idea regardless of the pain and agony felt today – tomorrow will be worse – boo. The run is called “Run Through Time” and takes you up about 1,600 feet on mostly single track, dirt trails for the half marathon and about 4,200 feet for the marathon. Yep, my legs are toast today and can hardly walk, but it was a beautiful day, a beautiful course and I feel accomplished! Extra bonus: no blisters were formed and no hips were broken.

I carried a bunch of stuff with me “just in case”. I didn’t bring the poles, but that Patagonia Houdini jacket was a life saver. Super light and it kept me warm when I needed it!

Views from the trail – heavenly….

The Town:

Salida is a small, artsy mountain town Southwest of Denver, Colorado – population ~5600. The starting elevation here is 7,000 feet. It’s not your typical touristy mountain town, which is why we love it so much. No glitz, no glam, just a bunch of people enjoying the outdoors!

Kayaking, Rafting, mountain biking, hiking, hot springs, skiing and fishing are the favorite things to do here. The Arkansas river flows through edge of town, which makes for some beautiful scenery.

If you are into art, there are tons of galleries or if climbing 14er’s (14,000 foot peaks) is your bag, it’s a great place to be as there are at least 6 or 7 close by.

This is a no frills city so if 5 star accommodations and restuarants are preferred, this may not be a great option for you!

Where to Stay:

Because Salida is a small, no-frills town, lodging can be a challenge. There are tons of airbnbs, but Sean and I decided to stay at a renovated 1950’s motel called the Amigo Motor Lodge. The minute I saw the photos on line and read their story, I was in love with this place. It was equally as charming in person.

I have a huge appreciation for attention to detail – everything is perfectly placed here. From the bathroom, artwork, bedding accessories, glassware, to the free coffee, yogurt and fruit in the morning, and the quotes on the marquis outside. They invested in this property and they did it right. The rooms are small as you would expect from a motel, but that didn’t bother us. Humor is a large part of their brand – which is a huge attraction!

More humor……he he

Bonus – they allow pups!

A place to chill for breakfast or any other time you’d like more space!

Nature survival instead of a bible….that’s a first!

They loaned us a 50’s cooler for some celebratory wine – another very nice touch!

Where to Eat favorites:

Dinner:

Our first night in town, we wandered the streets looking for carbs. We came across the town staple for Italian food – Amicas – which has been around for 10 years or so. It’s an excellent and mostly locally sourced Italian restaurant with my favorite – wood fired pizzas. Great beers on tap too. We had a simple pepperoni/mushroom thin crust pizza and a local IPA from Soulcraft brewing – delish. The only unfortunate thing was listening to the guy next to me giving advice on how to buy running shoes. It’s akin to me telling someone from Alaska, what to do there. UGH.

Breakfast x 2:

When you find a gem, sometimes you cannot stay away from it. We stumbled on a place called The Little Red Hen Bakery. Everything is made from scratch and sadly they only sell their amazing bagels on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Had I known that, I would have hoarded some for my freezer. Apparently, they sold out in 2.5 hours on Saturday morning, so I feel grateful we were able to experience the crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside bagels from heaven. They rotate the menu every day which keeps you coming back for more. The second time we were there, I picked up some cherry granola and a loaf of cinnamon bread – I didn’t need it mind you, but couldn’t help myself.

After reading this post, I am pretty sure we didn’t burn all of the calories we consumed. Looks like I will befriend the treadmill this week. Something like every day for the next year. Ha!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We had a wonderful time in Salida!

Cheers!

The Life Bus

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If you are ever in the Boulder area looking for a good local hike, pick Mount Sanitas. It’s about a 3.3 mile (ish) round trip, STEEP hike that takes you ~1,000 + feet to the top. The challenging parts about this hike are the deep steps that will make your calves and hammies scream, as well as the large boulders you have to navigate!! I generally traverse the trail in a clockwise direction, mostly so I can run on the smooth trail at the end – finishing strong is always a good thing.

Once you get to the top, the views of Boulder are pretty nice – you can see forever.

Key tips: Bring water and snacks for the top, wear solid hiking shoes (as mentioned, you are scrambling over boulders and scree in some parts), and lather on the sunscreen (you are in Colorado closer to the sun). I don’t recommend hiking poles, only because of the scrambling components of the hike. They would probably get in the way and possibly create a hazard. The trail can be icy in winter so be prepared – bring Yak Traks or Micro Spikes so you don’t break a hip! People bring their dogs up there, but not sure I love this idea. I saw a woman whose pup got freaked out on the boulders and could not hike out – not quite sure how she got past that issue. Don’t worry about being alone on the trail as it is usually pretty crowded. Don’t let this bother you, there is plenty of room!

What to do after the hike?

The best part of this hike is going out for beer and tacos (or just beer or just tacos) after. Let’s face it, you earned it, so go for it. We recently found a cool, little spot called T|ACO. The food is super fresh and the beer is cold. Sunday afternoons they offer $2.50 tacos and $3.50 beers. Just awesome.

There is a new location on Pearl Street in Downtown Boulder – great vibe, great beers. They do serve food – general bar food – not much to write home about, but it’ll do. They open doors when the weather is nice . Dale’s Pale Ale is a Colorado staple!

Yes, it finally happened!! I successfully competed in my first trail triathlon. I consider it a success because I actually got up that morning and went forward with the plan. Even though everything inside of me was saying let’s just have coffee and forget about this triathlon nonsense, I actually showed up at the start line. I also consider it a success because, as my husband said, I didn’t leave any DNA or DNF on the course. (DNF meaning Did Not Finish.)

To my good fortune, I had roped fellow LIfe Buser and Alpine Rescue teammate, Lynda, into doing the race with me. If any of you have followed her posts on the Life Bus you know that Lynda is about as dedicated to self-torture as it gets and definitely not a quitter. At about 4 AM I told myself that if Lynda answered the phone on her way to the race I would have to do the race too. Of course, Lynda answered the phone. In a very cheerful voice, one that belied it was 4 AM, she said she was on her way . With that, I knew I was stuck … I would have to do the race. In all honesty, I’m so thankful Lynda did answer the phone. Participating in my first triathlon with a dear friend was a great experience.

Back in May I wrote a post about my training for the Lory State Park Xterra Triathlon. I was diligently training in the snow, freezing water, rain, etc. The race was originally scheduled for June 1st, 2013. Imagine my chagrin when, 3 days before the event, racers received an email stating that the race was rescheduled for August 10th.

Earlier in the spring, Lory State Park suffered quite a bit of damage from a wildfire. During that fire many bridges on the trails were burned. These bridges were critical to the triathlon course. Apparently, the park ran out of government funding and couldn’t rebuild the bridges before the originally scheduled race date. Racers could either get a refund or opt for the rescheduled date. I went with the latter. I thought it’s summer time, I’ll be exercising and able to keep up my training regimen. Nothing could have been further from the truth. My interest in training began to wane and I went on a 2 and a half week European vacation where it was hard to focus on training instead of eating my favorite foods such as German pretzels with butter, chocolate, croissants, cheese, schinken, German pastries, gelato, etc.

And so it was, that I found myself at the start line on the morning of August 10th with only 2 weeks of training in the last 2 months. Despite the fact that I was wearing one necklace that said carpe diem and another in the shape of a horseshoe, I was in need of some true inspiration. Lynda came through for me. While we were standing around waiting for our swim heat to go, I asked her why she participates in all of these tests of human will. Her response was what I needed to hear and the motto of a true Life Buser. She said she does these because she likes to test her fears, to push herself beyond her boundaries, and to try new things. She said you will be a different person on the other side. It was just the Life Bus motivation I needed. I was mad at myself for briefly forgetting these values.

The race was hot and hard and challenged me. There were surprises along the way. The event I feared the most, the mountain biking portion, turned out to be my best. I felt emboldened on that course and not fearful in the least. The run, which is usually my best event, spanked me. Primarily because it felt like 100 degrees outside and the first 2 miles climbed 600 feet in elevation.

I was thinking of quitting during the last mile or so because I was so hot and miserable. All I could think of was I will never do one of these again. I knew, however, I couldn’t quite. My husband would never let me live that one down. Once I was across the finish line I knew Lynda was right, I was a changed person. I stepped out of my comfort zone, faced my challenges, tried something new, and most importantly believed in myself. Carpe diem!! Will it surprise you to know I’ve already found two new Xterra triathlons that I plan on doing next summer.

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A few months ago, I was in need of a physical goal to keep me from sliding into full winter hibernation mode. I had always wanted to participate in a triathlon but always struggled with the biking portion. As a 17 year old, I had a literal run in with a vehicle while riding my bike. I know what you’re thinking but the accident was in no way due to any operator error on my part. The accident left me with a broken left arm, and, needless to say, a healthy fear of road riding.

About four years ago I took up mountain biking. I figured if I were going to bike, I’d like to choose my hazards instead of having the hazards choose me. The potential of someone choking on a french fry, texting, or putting on mascara and plowing into me seemed pretty slim on the trails. In my four years I have made some decent headway with my skills in this sport. I still struggled to find a triathlon because most of these trail triathlons usually have long, technical mountain biking segments. Even though I’m proud of the advancements I’ve made in riding singletrack, I’m pretty sure I have no business sighing up for anything that involves long, technical biking.

A few months ago, while I was on a business trip, I found myself struggling to sleep and surfing the internet into the wee hours of the night. It was then that I found the perfect triathlon for me, the Lory Xterra Tri – 1/2 mile swim, 12.2 reasonable singletrack, and 4.8 trail run. The fact that this event was scheduled for June 1st didn’t really seem of significance at the time. Given that I have had to swim outdoors in snowy, 29 degree temperatures, run in deep, hard packed snow, and bike in cold, windy weather, I definitely have a healthy respect for early season training now. The water temperature on June 1st is expected to be around 50 degrees.

At first I was just thinking, ah heck, I can at least finish the race. Then the competitive person in me reared her head and I started thinking big, really big. I started thinking things like, if I’ve signed up for this I should try to win my age group. Todd always laughs when I talk about winning my age group but I figure you have to have dreams …. right.

I hired a coach to give me a plan and as of February first have been truly dedicating myself to training for this event. For the most part, I have loved the process of training. I love that it makes me get out every day and do something healthy for myself. I love the fact that I have made some real headway in improving my body composition … muffin tops be gone. I love that I can see improvements in my swimming and biking skills. I

have, however, struggled a bit with the rigidity of training for a tri. Every day is dedicated to some specific activity. I am by nature a very spontaneous person and the routine of a triathlon plan can stifle spontaneity a bit. So, the jury is still out if I will become an avid triathlon participant. Some days I find myself wanting to sign up for all of the Xterra triathlons. Other days I can’t wait for the event to be over. Either way, I am happy to finally be accomplishing one of my bucket list goals. Another positive, I have also been able to feed my habit for athletic gear a bit.

Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well on June 1st. This triathlete will be running on Life Bus power!

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Do you ever encounter people who are just meant to be in your life for one reason or another? Life is so grand like that.

Back in 2011, Lexi and I had an ambitious idea to open our own clothing store/gift shop where we wanted to sell one of a kind items either from amazing artists we met in our daily lives or encountered via our travels. One of our first stops in search of our first coveted artisan was the New Orleans Jazz Festival (Jazz Fest).

Why New Orleans (NOLA) you ask? Jazz Fest happens to be one of the largest and most famous in the US AND New Orleans is full of inspiring artists. We figured in between red beans and rice and liquid hurricanes, there would be at least one artist we would find interesting. Just so happens, the weather in NOLA in April can be rather iffy. Our first day at the festival was a total bomb – a tropical storm decided to blow through town that weekend. There we stood in mid-calf deep water, sheltering ourselves from the torrential rain with one broken umbrella ready to blow inside out, eating red beans and rice from flimsy paper plates – it was a sad sight indeed. I found it all entertaining until I realized my bermuda shorts became tanslucent with the rain. The remainder of the day was spent trying to find a dry tent rather than our amazing artisan. Needless to say, we left the festival drenched to the bone and more than a little bummed.

The next day Lexi left NOLA early in the morning but I had most of the day ahead of me. The sun was shining bright and it was gorgeous outside…you know those days after a big rain! I decided to play a little game…if I could win enough money playing Blackjack for a ticket to the Sunday Jazz Fest, I was going back in search of our artisan – I had not yet given up hope. The cards were on fire that morning – I won a little over the cost of a ticket. I rarely win at Blackjack. I cashed in my chips and headed for the trolley car.

If you have ever ridden the trolley in NOLA you know they only take exact change – something like a buck-fify – and of course all I had were 20’s from my casino winnings. As I pondered what I was going to buy at 7-11 to get change (pink snowballs with a 20 year shelf life perhaps?), a dollar bill literally came blowing down the street – some teenagers spotted it first so I gave them the first right of refusal. The response from the pack of wild teens was, “It’s not a Benjamin – you can have it.” Who says that? I proceeded to run after my ‘measly’ dollar, stomping the ground with every gust of wind until I caught George with my my shoe before he disappeared under a Toyota mini-van.

George and I waited in a fairly long line for the trolley. I was the last person they could possibly squeeze in, but as luck would have it, the person in front of me had the common sense to ask if we were on the right car for Jazz Fest. We weren’t, and had I jumped on that trolley, I would have ended up on the opposite side of town – my hopes of finding our dream artisan dashed.

I FINALLY made it to the hallowed grounds of Jazz Fest – the sound of incredible music and the smell of tasty, cajun morsels in the air. I passed by the friendly ticket-takers and within 2 minutes walked up to the first marketplace booth I found. Just so happens it was filled with some of my favorite things – belt buckles in particular. It was love at first site – Sweet Bird is EXACTLY what Lexi and I had come to find in NOLA. Nancy the owner was there to talk about her pieces – what a wonderful soul she is! She is one of those special people who has never met a stranger and has a way of making you feel as though you have known her forever.

To make a long story short, Lexi and I did not open our clothing store, but in the pursuit of one of our many dreams on the Life Bus, we met an amazing person. The icing on this giant cake is that Nancy lives in Boulder, CO – just 30 minutes from Lexi and me. She owns a store in Boulder now – so it is only fitting we chose her to make our very first Life Bus belt buckles. We will wear them proudly not only because they are gorgeous and made by a good soul, but it’s also special to know she shares our philosophy to follow your bliss and live life to the fullest.

To quote Nancy from her website:

~There is much more to come, but for now I wish you aimless days of exploring and countless opportunities for creating. We all have a story. What’s yours? I hope it is full of hope, passion and faith.~

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We are so lucky to have 4 seasons in Colorado – The Life Bus looks forward to each and every one! The images below represent 2 things, 1) The most significant season for Colorado – the Winter, and 2) My favorite time of the year to dust off my camera – late Spring.

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Even though we Life Busers definitely like visiting far-flung corners of the globe, we often say that there is still so much yet to discover just in our own Colorado backyard. This was the motivation behind a recent getaway trip Todd and I took to the western slope of Colorado. We set out to put a little gravel in our travel and discover a lesser known part of Colorado (at least to most of us on the Front Range.) The destination of this road trip was a four day getaway to the Gateway Canyon Resort in Gateway, CO. Gateway Canyons

When this was presented to me as my birthday present, I had never heard of Gateway, CO or of the resort. I quickly got on line to do some research. The resort looked like Todd had done well in choosing this place. The secluded location, the soaring canyon scenery, and the fact that you have to drive along the Unaweep Tabeguache Scenic Byway to get to the resort all really peaked my interest to explore this part of our state. The byway is a 140 mile route that cuts through some of the oldest rock on the planet (1 billion year old pre-Cambrian to be exact) and runs from just north of Delta to Ridgeway. Unaweep and Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway

We arrived at night so didn’t have a chance to see our surroundings until the morning. When we woke up we had a beautiful view of the Palisade right outside our window. For those seriously ambitious folk, the Palisade is a narrow fin of sandstone surrounded on all sides by vertical walls and can be climbed. The leaves on the cottonwoods were still a vibrant golden yellow in the sunlight. The sky was a beautiful, intense, Colorado blue. I would, however, suggest going in early to mid-October to experience peak seasonal colors. This area does have quite a bit of scrub oak which is one of the few plants in Colorado which has that deep fall red color. Unfortunately, all of the scrub oak leaves were already off by the time we were here.

On our first day we went for one of those drives that we call “discover your world.” We headed out onto a dirt, canyon-hugging, road towards an area called Sinbad Valley. On the map, at the Adventure Center, Sinbad valley looked like a really cool depression in the surrounding, unrelenting walls of red rock. We had been told there was a good 4×4 road there and a few years ago Gateway Resort had actually held a trail marathon on this dirt road. The drive in was beautiful vertical canyon walls with a salt wash along the side of the road the entire way. We finally arrived at the turn off (with only one misstep) and pulled over to try our mountain bikes on this road. Of course, Todd had no problems. I found it somewhat challenging as it was misleadingly steep and had very rocky, technical washes one after the other. After going about 3 miles up and back, we headed out to check out the Hanging Flume Historic Site.

The Hanging Flume is perhaps one of the most risky and lofty plans in mining history. The Flume, built on the side of a cliff over the San Miguel RiverIt, is now on the National Historic Register and slated for renovation. It is quite an engineering feat, especially given that it was built between 1889-1891. Even if you’re not a history nerd like I am, visiting the Flume is an effortless pit stop worth making while you’re on the Unaweep Tabeguache Byway. It will truly make you wonder how did they do that!! The Hanging Flume

Given that the Canyons has such beautiful horse stables, we decided to take advantage of this and go horseback riding … even if only for a good laugh. Our guides, Amy Wilkinson Equestrian Manager and her side-kick Cheyenne, were AMAZING!! To call Amy the horse whisperer would be an understatement. She had a wonderful way with both horses and clients. You can see she is a woman who is passionate about her horses and, in turn, they ensure her clients have a great time. Our horses were gentle and yet did show us some spunk as well. Todd’s horse, Frog, got a little feisty which caused my horse and another to get a little feisty and the next thing I knew my horse was up and running … albeit for a short distance. Amy was great at assuring everything was always copacetic!! We rode the horses on some sweet single track trails through scrub oak and cottonwood groves. Cheyenne is a great young girl who helps out at the ranch. Her horse-handling skills were so impressive for someone of her age. Gateway Canyon Stables

From here, we continued the pursuit for gravel and backroads up and over John Brown’s canyon on to the La Sal Mountain Forest Area. We stopped where the dirt road met the paved road. If you continue on, it’s only about another 30 miles to Moab. This back road option to Moab is a much shorter route than driving back up to Grand Junction and on into Moab via 1-70. A nice way to fit some really epic mountain biking in if you’re staying at the resort. At the location where we stopped, there are some magnificent dinosaur prints pretty much right off the road. This area also has some gorgeous scenic overlooks. The edge of these overlooks is not for the faint of heart. The drop is a good several thousand feet down.

The last day I got in a great 8 mile trail run and Todd road mountain bike on the BLM trails a hundred yards or so from the resort grounds. Some beautiful views to be had while running or riding.

On the way home, we drove over the Grand Mesa. There will definitely be posts on the Mesa this coming year. At the bottom of the Mesa we wanted to continue with our backroad theme and wound up on 40 miles of beautiful, uninhabited Colorado wilderness area!!

Oh Colorado, you still have so much for the Life Bus to explore … how are we going to fit it all in?